How much does the band help you alone, vs. you really pushing to follow a plan like weight watchers or something else? I know everyone says "the band is a tool" but I want to know what that really means... If you just eat what your body tells you, do you lose nothing??

Everyone is different. Some bandsters exercise like crazy and track everything they put in their mouth and every calorie burned.

For me, I have put in very little effort. I don't track or journal anything. I don't do any type of formal exercise or "workout". I reached the green zone/ sweet spot very early and the wieght melted off and stayed off. I am more active in general because I feel better with all that extra weight gone. I try to eat healthy in general. I do not "diet". All that dieting stuff does not work for me. The many years of being a yo-yo dieter is proof enough for me to understand all that is a waste of time. I don't want to live my life obcessing over it and I have not had to.

I have been banded for a year and one month now. Up until about two months ago, I really didn't do anything to help the band. Now, however, I am at the gym 3 to 4 times a week; I am counting all calories through an app called LoseIt. So it's become a game to me. The weight came off slow and steady, but is now coming off a bit faster because of the exercise. My total weight loss to date is 75 pounds and I'm 25 away from my goal.

It was hard in the beginning....bandster hell...

But once the band was adjusted properly, it became very easy for me.

I am very really hungry, and when I do eat, the band restricts mt how much I can eat.

Only thing indeed to doing make wise food choices.

I go to the gym every chance I get, not because I have tobut because I want to.

I never count calories or measure/weigh foods.

The band has physically limited the amount I can eat. I received restriction right away and rarely feel hungry. I do not diet. I do not eat Pasta, bread or rice by choice (nor do I miss it). I just try to make good healthy food choices and choose things that are high in Protein. I also do not deprive myself. If I want something I have a little bit of it. This has worked very well for me and the weight is coming off.

I also work out 4-5 days a week - most weeks. It makes me feel better and definitely helps with my weight loss. When I skip days I notice I make bad food choices. My work outs set the tone for my day. I am addicted now. It helps a ton mentally and physically.

Everyone reacts so differently to the band though. For me it is about the restriction. I physically cannot eat a lot, so the weight comes off. I get my self moving and some more comes off. As simple and as hard as that...

Good Luck to you on your journey!

I've been banded almost a year (mid-april) and have had very little luck at this point. Honestly, I gave up in October and stopped going for fills etc. I've decided to give it another shot and I'm going to start over when I go to the appointment on 2/21. I became so disgusted and while I know the band is supposed to help and not do the work for me, there was NO help happening. I was having a difficult time staying under 1,600 calories let alone 1,100. I was struggling and failing and not getting much "support" from the doctors office. Frustrated, I stopped going and doing follow ups. I'm going to try again. It's hard work and those who say "oh, she has a lap band and that's cheating" - well, honestly it's like I have no band and I'm doing it on my own. IF I could have done it on my own, I wouldn't have resorted to surgery! Anyhow, everyone is different and a lot of people have had wonderful success on this and I am jealous of that and wish you the absolute best of luck and hope it happens for you quickly. Everyone tells me that when I reach the "sweet" spot it will start happening.....fingers crossed. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

In truth, I didnt try that hard. I did try though. My successful banded dieting was very similar to my unsuccessful non banded dieting. I improved my meals - chose healthier foods, and altered the carb/protein ratio (a recent trip on a school camp where we were fed mountains of cheap white stodgy food reminded me just how much of that sh*t I used to get through thinking it was healthy) a little. But I am and have always been a hopeless dieter - there was plenty of cheating - lots of treats in the form of Cookies, a muffin, a nice coffee etc. With the band, the only difference was that the portion sizes of everything were a lot smaller and for a long while there, I simply couldnt eat muffins, cake and things like that. I cheated less, as I always did when dieting too, but I still weakened and caved quite regularly.

So all in all, it wasnt that hard. What I changed the most was my exercise habits. I took up running and was (and am) absolutely dedicated to it. I will move heaven and earth to get my run in despite any obstacles.

Perhaps I was very lucky, but with the running and with being 5ft 10, I didnt need to drop calories to anything below about 1500, I lost well on that. I've NEVER had the sort of restriction from my band that could keep me at the 800 to 1000 calories others talk about and I never found the need to eat that little anyway.

I haven't reached the green zone yet, so I must "try" pretty hard still. I feel like I still need to diet, which sucks. I've been on a diet almost 20 years, going up and down (but more up than down). I had a fill on Thursday and am feeling great restriction so I'm hoping my band will start helping me a bit more with portion sizes. If I could think about food less that would be great; I know some people say they do since being banded and I wish that would happen for me. Maybe I've just spent so much time in the last years thinking about it it's become abnormally important. Hoping those feelings will lessen.

I'm right there with you Shauna! I had a fill this Tuesday. Well, Wed and Thursday I was still getting hungry about 2-2.5 hours later. Today has been a little bit better. I am just under 1000 calories and not feeling hungry. So, maybe this 8th fill is the charm for me!

And to answer the question....I try really hard....about 90% of the time!